Best
Voice in the Wilderness:
God
knows this town needs some deeper insights
about growing up African American. Thanks to
two local actresses we got a double dose this season. Cincinnati
Shakespeare Festival presented intern Taylore Mahogany Scott in The
Gimmick, and she brought to startling life a sensitive, bookish teenager
growing up in ’60s Harlem. Over at The Know Theatre Tribe,
meanwhile, local stage veteran Burgess Byrd embodied a woman recalling
her formative years in Albany, N.Y., in Pretty Fire. One isn’t
the loneliest number — in these solo shows, it was the most
fascinating. CSF, 719 Race St., Downtown, 513-381-2288; The Know
Theatre Tribe, Liberty and Sycamore Streets, Over-the-Rhine, 513-300-5669.
Best Reason to Celebrate the Arts:
Last fall’s 20/20 Festival was designed as a clever package of 20 events over 20 nights to celebrate
the 20th birthday of Enjoy the Arts/START, which focuses on getting
young people interested in the arts. Turnout was mixed, depending
on the event and the weather, but overall 20/20 was a success — and
ETA has decided to bring it back this fall. Enjoy the Arts/START,
1338 Main St., Over-the-Rhine, 513-621-4700.
Best Reason to Believe the Arts Can Make a Difference:
The brand new Contemporary Arts Center —
excuse us, the Lois & Richard Rosenthal Center for Contemporary
Art — is just a few months away from opening and remains one
of the best hopes for a huge boost to downtown vitality. Zaha Hadid’s
unusual design doesn’t seem that strange anymore now that
we’ve watched the building slowly grow out of the ground —
but those who have toured the interior galleries promise lots of
surprises are still to come. CAC, Sixth and Walnut streets, Downtown,
513-345-8415.
|
Best
Rebound from Controversy:
Paradise at the Playhouse
The Playhouse in the Park finally performed Paradise
on Feb. 18, two months after a controversy erupted
that ended up
canceling the play it commissioned for its touring education
program.
The performance was a free public reading attended by 430
despite a snowstorm. Paradise describes the tragic intersection
of
two teenage girls in Palestine — both young and idealistic,
but one is Muslim and the other Israeli; affected by the swirling
conflict, the Muslim girl is persuaded to become a suicide
bomber. Based on an actual event from 2002, the play was criticized
by representatives of the local Muslim community after a mid-December
reading intended for several academic and religious experts
knowledgeable about Muslim and Jewish issues. As a precaution
on Feb. 18, the Playhouse hired security guards and used only
one building entrance, but the diverse crowd — some in
Muslim traditional garb, and others wearing signs of Judaism
such as yarmulkes — was well-mannered. The evening
featured a 70-minute performance with seven actors, followed
by an hour-long
panel discussion among Playhouse Producing Artistic Director
Ed Stern, Playhouse Education Director Burt Goldstein and
Linda Lushbaugh, assistant principal at Winton Woods High
School.
Stern said he hoped the reading would create a demand from
educators who want to bring a finished version of Paradise
to their schools next year. (RP)
|
Best Mix of Arts and Politics:
Cincinnati Opera’s dynamite
production of Dead Man Walking last summer was one of the highlights
of the past year’s arts scene here. Some didn’t think
the opera version of the movie and book was all that dramatic, but
no one could argue that Cincinnati Opera didn’t shake up its
traditional repertoire — the death penalty issues were very
current, the singers were engaging, it was performed in English and
there was even brief nudity. When anti-death penalty activists picketed
in front of Music Hall before performances, Dead Man Walking became
that rarest of artworks — cutting edge. Cincinnati Opera,
1241 Elm St., Over-the-Rhine, 513-621-1919.
Best Place to Have a Beer and Check Out Really Unusual Art:
Dreadlocks
and nose rings are perfectly acceptable attire at SSNOVA. Of
course, if you’re more comfortable in a suit and tie, you won’t
be turned away at the door. SSNOVA has turned the musty old Mockbee
Building into something truly urban with a shock of chic. SSNOVA,
2260 Central Parkway, Brighton, 513-929-9463.
Best Yuppie-Friendly Gallery Openings:
Annie Bolling is a hot young
gallery owner with a fresh eye for traditional and contemporary
art, and her new gallery location on the edge of Oakley is perfect
for
the Hyde Park crowd. Phyllis Weston’s impeccable style and
eye for art definitely rubbed off on Bolling during her days at Closson’s.
Now that she’s on her own, she’s bringing a big city
gallery experience to a younger, hipper crowd. Annie Bolling
Gallery, 3235 Madison Road, Oakley, 513-871-2100.
Best Cosmopolitan:
The free ones served every Final Friday at LifeEstetics
Design Studio in Over-the-Rhine. The groovy new home furnishings,
furniture and lighting store has joined with its 13th and Clay neighbors
(The Projects gallery, Flowers and Beyond, Publico, James Kwame Clay)
to stretch the fun from Main Street and the Pendleton Art Center
during the monthly Final Friday art walks. LifeEsthetics Design Studio,
111 E. 13th St., Over-the-Rhine, 513-723-1901.
Best Bloody Mary:
The Bloody Mary bar every Sunday at Hamburger Mary’s.
You get to create your own bloodies from a wealth of ingredients,
including Clamotta, for those who love Bloody Caesars. Hamburger
Mary’s, 911 Vine St., Downtown, 513-381-MARY.
Best Twist on Karaoke:
Hamburger Mary’s
The weekly karaoke night at Hamburger Mary’s is something
you just have to experience. Nowhere else will you find better
singers, more show tunes and more Streisand songs sung by men.
The Thursday get-together, which regulars have taken to call “Maryoke,” is
a welcome departure from all the Country crap that so many
karaoke nights have become. The real attraction here is the
surprisingly rich talent that shows up every week. On a recent
night, a middle-aged man busted out an aria from Carmen just
before a young man known only as Mateo did a mean Britney Spears
cover. Talk about diversity. Plus they have little monitors
in the bathrooms so you’re never far from the music.
Karaoke that doesn’t suck — what a concept. Hamburger
Mary’s, 911 Vine St., Downtown, 513-381-MARY. (RP) |
Best Neighborhood Watering Hole for You and Your Dog:
Main City permits
dogs to accompany their owners for a visit. Nice to go out for a
beer without feeling guilty about leaving Rover at home. Main City,
1427 Main St., Over-the-Rhine, 513-241-6111.
Best Bowling Alley Margarita:
The tart and potent drinks at Cancun
Mexican Restaurant inside Western Bowl. They’re worth the
drive for the drinks alone, but the food is good and cheap, too.
Western
Bowl, 6383 Glenway Ave., Bridgetown, 513-574-2222.
Best Breakdancing Bear:
If you like spectacular fruity drinks, order
one of the homemade concoctions at Bar Humbug such as the Breakdancing
Bear, topped with a strawberry swirl anarchy symbol. For $7,
it’ll
knock you off your feet. Though the place is a bit small, the
atmosphere is quite contemporary, the music is fine and the bartenders
are
excellent, funny and friendly. Bar Humbug, 6-8 W. Pike St., Covington,
859-491-1333.
Best Lack of Cover:
A number of clubs — Cody’s Cafe,
The Comet and Northside Tavern in particular — have made local
music free by paying the bands a flat rate without asking patrons
to pay for entry. It’s the best way to turn on the public to
the exponentially expanding Cincy music scene. Cody’s Café,
113 Calhoun St., Clifton Heights, 513-569-0555; The Comet, 4579
Hamilton Ave., Northside, 513-541-8900; Northside Tavern, 4163
Hamilton Ave.,
Northside, 513-542-3603.
Best Fan-Friendly Band:
Buckra
If you’ve ever signed up on the mailing list for local
band Buckra, you’ll likely never forget. Far from spamming,
the band has developed an uncommon connection with their fans
by sending out personalized e-mails (a recent “thank you”
e-mail was sent just hours after the band won an award at the
local music Cammys event) and hand-addressed postcards for every
single show (and they play a lot). Local bands are notoriously
slack when it comes to promotions, an almost understandable
byproduct of the artistic temperament. But through experience
(singer Dylan Speeg and guitarist Jacob Heintz also played for
many years in the Rottweilers), sheer determination and clever
acumen, Buckra has turned promotions into a grassroots science.
And the band often plays gigs one might not normally expect
them to — they’re always quick to accept slots at
benefits they believe in, tribute shows and other multi-band
events. Their lack of snobbish discretion has helped them play
in front of people who might not normally see them. The fans
seem to respond — including CityBeat readers, who named
Buckra “Best Band” and Heintz “Best Musician”
in this year’s readers picks (see page 30). Buckra: www.buckra.com
(MB) |
Best Thing for the Under 21 Crowd:
Cincinnati is filled with bars
and concert venues, but not for all ages. Generally, Cincinnatians
must wait until they’re 21 to enjoy the nightlife or break
the law trying. But The Void in Northside, an all-ages Punk/Indie
rock club draws massively, gives kids something to do — plus
allows any musicians, especially young ones, a chance to be heard.
The Void, 4011 Hamilton Ave., Northside, www.thevoid.cc
Best Place to Get Lost:
The Southgate House is our choice for the
best place to lose youself — literally and figuratively — while
listening to music. It features three floors of creative music
mayhem courtesy of the best of the local and national scenes.
The well-hidden
bathrooms, in particular, offer a respite from the crowds and/or
a place in which to hide from an ex-girlfriend or boyfriend.
Southgate House, 24 E. Third St., Newport, 859-431-2201.
Best Performance by an Alien in a Local Band:
No one on the current
scene is as out there, in a good way, as Readymaid frontman Jason
Snell. His performance at the Cincinnati Entertainment Awards
last fall — backed by a 20-member chorus of local musician friends — was
mesmerizing.
Best Off-the-Grid Cinema:
Underneath Cincinnati, the salon where
local and national filmmakers contribute to one-night festival
screenings, has taken up residence at SSNOVA to overwhelming
audience response.
Events feature between 15 and 20 short films, putting the spotlight
on local video and film artists like Andre Hyland, Craig Caudill
and Bryan Amburgey. Underneath Cincinnati Director Sara Mahle
says she’s planning a year-end “Best of Underneath” screening
that could turn into a small regional tour in early 2004. Remaining
2003 Underneath Cincinnati shows take place at SSNOVA on April
27, Aug. 3 and Nov. 9. www.underneathcincinnati.com
Best Dynamic Duo:
Film buffs-turned-volunteer programmers Tim Swallow
and Jim Kesner have built a Tuesday night film club into Cincinnati
World Cinema, a year-round programmer of international films,
documentaries and independent works that ordinarily wouldn’t
find their way to local audiences. There are plenty of local
movie fans who
complain
about the large number of films that bypass Cincinnati cinemas,
and Swallow and Kesner have acted on those complaints.
Best Movie Discussion/Drinking Room:
Junie’s Lounge on the
first floor of the Southgate House is across from the AMC theaters
and is as good a place as any to have a drink, listen to some
local music and discuss the movie you just watched. Southgate
House,
24 E. Third St., Newport, 859-431-2201.
Best Debut:
MidPoint Music Festival
Last September, the MidPoint Music Festival — a multi-venue,
multi-performer, multi-day conference and showcase featuring
musicians and biz types from Cincinnati and all over the world
— helped give the local music scene a cohesiveness and
a sense that musicians can accomplish something on a huge level
in this town. We couldn’t have a Best of Cincinnati issue
without mentioning MidPoint — it’s the best thing
to happen for local music in recent memory. And it’s not
just an isolated “local music” thang. The fest has
been a rallying point for local pundits, politicians and go-getters
who want to make Cincinnati a better place by encouraging the
young “creative class” to help make this a more
vibrant place to live. As the MidPoint festival hits its midway
mark to the next event (Sept. 24-27) co-founders Bill Donabedian
and Sean Rhiney are optimistic about the future. They’re
months ahead of the game, which they say will give them ample
time to make the 2003 event even bigger and better. “We
were crazy for doing it the first time,” jokes Rhiney.
“Now, we’re just committed.” MidPoint Music
Festival: www.mpmf.com (MB) |
Best Next Stage:
Xavier University’s new theater at its Gallagher
Center is a beautiful, state-of-the-art venue
that seats 350. Nicer than many performing spaces in town,
it’s a dream come true
for coordinator Cathy Springfield, who lobbied — and got — a
professional-caliber facility. Next step, she hopes, will
be a full-fledged major in theater someday. Gallagher Center,
campus of Xavier University,
Evanston, 513-745-3578.
Best Step Up:
A longtime staple of the local theater scene, Corinne
Mohlenhoff truly came into her own this past year.
Frequently cast as the ingénue daughter during her first tenure at Cincinnati
Shakespeare Festival, she’s more recently seized hold of more
complex (and not always likable) roles with turns in IF Theatre Collective’s
Lebensraum, Ensemble Theatre’s Tape and Ovation Theatre Company’s
Crimes of the Heart, for which she earned a Cincinnati Entertainment
Awards nomination. She’s proof positive of Cincinnati theater’s
ability to nurture young talent.
Best Blow to Local Artists:
Suzanna Terrill was a singlehanded whirlwind
of support to the arts community, which faced a major blow
when she closed her Main Street gallery. She’s reportedly
scouting for a new locale, but the interim hiatus is a
gloomy one for
the art
world.
Best Going Down With a Fight:
Stage First Cincinnati dazzled audiences
in February with Artistic Director Nicholas Korn’s brand-new
musical “commedia,” Illuzzio, or A Man’s Best Servant
Is Himself. Sadly the premiere turned out to be Stage First’s
swan song, too, when Korn announced that the group would cease operations
in mid-season. That darkness at the Aronoff’s Fifth
Third Bank Theater is no illusion.
Best Spider, Man:
Granted, without venturing into local politics,
there simply aren’t that many contenders for this
title. But the terrifying creation of Shelob for Ovation Theatre
Company’s
The Two Towers, the second in the Lord of the Rings trilogy,
was a technical wonder. Truly a monster in size, Shelob
engulfed the
actors. Electrifying red eyes and a chilling black body
that expanded up and across the stage, Shelob was a suitably
creepy
barrier to
hobbits Sam and Frodo on their quest. The building of the
beast was quite the undertaking for Ovation, especially
since Shelob
had mere
minutes of stage time. Talk about dedication to the craft
and to a literary classic. Ovation Theatre Co., 513-369-1544.
Best Grassroots Boosterism:
Jeremiah Evans and Charlie Padgett, who
operate the local promotions/poster design outfit 3Feet,
headed to the 2003 South By Southwest music conference
in Austin, Texas
with
stacks of self-made, business-card size guides to the Cincinnati
music scene. They went to promote the fact that this area
is indeed a great place to include in bands’ touring routes. “I
went to SXSW last year, and of the 40 bands I saw about three came
to Cincinnati,” Evans said. “I’m sick of driving
to Columbus or Cleveland to see shows. The card is basically just
begging, ‘Please, come rock us!’ ”
Best New Rock Club Downtown:
The Cavern is very slick and as of now
is still supporting local original music. It’s a tough fight,
though, operating a club in Over-the-Rhine during these “troubled
times.” The Cavern, 1120 Walnut St., Over-the-Rhine,
513-361-0036.
Best New Rock Club in Northern Kentucky:
The Madison Theater in Covington
has a nice room, books original music and hosts actual
live wrestling on Mondays — it might be amateur league, but they’ve
apparently had “scouts” from the WWE checking
out the new talent. Madison Theater, 730 Madison Ave.,
Covington, 859-655-4807.
Best Fake Exit:
Top Cat’s was supposed to be closing,
then it was supposed to be sold, then neither happened
and they decided
to stay open. D’oh. It’s a good thing, because it’s
one of the best places for local original bands (and the occasional
weird national act) to play. Top Cat’s, 2820 Vine
St., Corryville, 513-281-2005.
Best Repudiation of Cincinnati Culture:
During his performance last
fall at the Taft Theatre, comedian Jon Stewart made fun
of the audience after asking what the hot spot was in Cincinnati.
When
someone in
the crowd immediately yelled out “Skyline!” and it was
explained to him that Skyline wasn’t a hip dance club but in
fact a chili restaurant, Stewart’s jaw hit the ground. He was
stymied by the fact that we’d think a chili restaurant was
cool as well as by the general concept of chili on top of spaghetti.
Damn East Coast liberal elitist! He’s sure funny,
though.
Best Exhibition to Take Your Mummy to:
Visitors of all ages flocked
to the Cincinnati Art Museum’s ancient
Egyptian exhibit last summer, with attendance being so
strong that it was extended
several
weeks. A real chip off the old pyramid. Cincinnati Art
Museum, 953 Eden Park Drive, Eden Park, 513-721-2787.
Best Exhibitions to Take Your Kids to:
Grossology at the Museum Center and Frogs!
at the Cincinnati Zoo accomplished the almost impossible task of
getting kids interested in “important” subjects through
cool presentations they could relate to. Parents might have been
a little grossed out, but the kids ate it up (hopefully not literally).
Museum Center at Union Terminal, 1301 Western Ave., West End, 513-287-7000;
Cincinnati Zoo & Botanical Gardens, 3400 Vine St., Avondale,
513-559-7748.
Best Collaboration on Stage:
Tony Award-winning playwright Warren
Leight brought his latest play to life through an unusually cozy
collaboration with Ensemble Theatre of Cincinnati. The play,
James and Annie, is based on characters
from Leight’s childhood and
might follow his previous works (including the Tony-winning Side
Man) to Broadway. If so, it should be labelled “It came from
Cincinnati.” See it through March 30. Ensemble Theatre,
1127 Vine St., Over-the-Rhine, 513-421-3555.
Best Collaboration on Toe Shoes:
The Cincinnati Ballet’s Come
Together Festival featured dancing to music ranging
from Bach to Etta James to Paul Simon. The diversity of
the dancers, the music
and the audience was inspiring. Cincinnati Ballet, Aronoff
Center’s
Procter & Gamble Hall, 650 Walnut St., Downtown, 513-241-SHOW.
Best Art for Carnivores:
John Wolfer’s Fresh Paintings: Lean & Tasty at
the Carnegie Center might have offended vegetarians, but
he’s
a sensitive guy. Really. After painting scenes of his father at work
in the family’s butcher business, Wolfer changed
from slow-drying oil portraits to acrylic representations
of available
familiar
meat products. You can still eat it up through April 4.
Carnegie Center,
1028 Scott St., Covington, 859-491-2030.
Best Food for Thought:
Local artists owe a lot to area restaurants,
coffeeshops and bars that regularly display their work. The businesses
could simply cover their walls with chic wallpaper or themed
doo dads but instead give them to artists. We salute them (and
apologize
in advance for leaving out anyone): Buzz Coffee
Shop, The Greenwich, Habañero, Henke Wine, Indigo, Kaffee Klatsch, Kaldi’s,
Mullane’s, Southgate House and York
Street Café.
Best Picture of an Art Scene:
Cincinnati was bursting this past year with excellent photography
shows, and there wasn’t a better time to be a photo fan than
in January. That’s when there were simultaneous exhibitions
of Roho curator J. Michael Skaggs and former Cincinnati Enquirer
photo editor Peggy Turbett at Kaldi’s Coffeehouse;
Antonelli College professors Andrea Millette and David
Baxter at Roho Photo Gallery; and Xavier University staff photographer
Gregory Rust’s shots of everyday life in Guatemala
and Nicaragua at Gallagher Student Center.
Best Salvaging Job:
Cincinnati Shakespeare Festival, struggling under both a
bad ecomony and downtown’s continuing malaise, decided to
scale back some ambitious productions in 2003 and return to its
classical roots. In doing so, Artistic Director Jasson Minadakis
and several full-time staffers left their jobs, and the CSF reins
were turned over to Nick Rose, who founded the company with Minadakis
back in 1994. Like many downtown businesses, CSF is simply trying
to survive the current tough times. We wish them well. Cincinnati
Shakespeare Festival, 719 Race St., Downtown, 513-381-2288.
Best Rebound:
In February the aforementioned Jasson Minadakis was named
artistic director of Actors Express in Atlanta, a company that presents
a mix of classic, cutting edge and original plays and musicals.
That should be right up his alley. We wish him well as well. Well?
Best Reason for Abstinence:
The Lysistrata Project’s coordinated readings of the
ancient Greek anti-war play Lysistrata included two events here
— a reading at Xavier University with Dale Hodges and Sherman
Fracher and one at Newport’s Monmouth Theatre. The play —
featured in 538 readings in 38 countries around the world, including
Cincinnati — was written by Aristophanes as an anti-war satire
in which women from opposing sides of an armed conflict join forces
to end the war by withholding sex until peace is declared.
Best Anti-War Movement We Can Dance to:
Dissentcinnati is a collection of local bands and musicians
under an anti-war umbrella. Their Web site (www.fudgieandfufu.com/dissentcinnati)
features more than 50 songs from local acts that can be downloaded,
burned onto CDs and passed around. F&F’s manifesto: “We
do not want war. We do not want Bush. We are all the artists (and
still growing) from Cincinnati, Ohio, that could fit on an 80-min.
CD-R. And we would like to be counted.” The Dissentcinnati
project went live March 8 with a number of the bands playing the
Southgate House.
Best Almost Obscene Performance:
In February Mad magazine senior editor and monologist Joe Raiola
kicked off another season of the Playhouse in the Park’s exciting
“alteractive” series. The Rosenthal Plaza was packed
on a Monday night, as many of the series shows are, and Raiola veered
from stand-up comedy to social satire to religious musings in a
performance titled “Almost Obscene.” Playhouse in the
Park, 962 Mt. Adams Circle, Mount Adams, 513-421-3888.
Best Up and Coming Conductor:
Demetrius Fuller has been out of UC’s College-Conservatory
of Music for just a few years, but he’s garnered a wealth
of experience. Part of his weekly schedule has him in Florida as
the music director of the Northwest Florida Symphony, and the rest
of it’s spent in Cincinnati, where he directs and conducts
the Arc Ensemble. Every six weeks or so, he flies to Switzerland
to conduct concerts at the Music Conservatory in Geneva. “How
many people do what they love to do?” Fuller told CityBeat.
“I could have been a stock broker. I would have been poor
by now.”
Best Songwriter:
Local musician Zach Mechlem — who’s played with
numerous local bands and currently works with World music juggernaut
Mohenjo Dara — recently won the national Shure Music Roots
songwriting competition. He submitted his song “Dakota”
from his solo CD, The Haight Gang. Mechlem won a trip to the NAMM
Conference in California and $5,000 in music equipment.
Best Song and Album:
DJ/multi-instrumentalist Boom Bip’s song “Roads
Must Roll” off the Lex Records CD release Seed to Sun pushed
him to international acclaim. The song features a gurgling, hypnotic
slow build, Joy Division bass line, twilight keyboards, punchy beats
and a string sample as memorable as the one The Verve built “Bittersweet
Symphony” around. It’s majestically delicious, as is
the rest of the album, which won “Best Album” at last
fall’s Cincinnati Entertainment Awards.
Best Lesson Learned by Local Musicians:
If you make a gig an “event,” more
people will come. Throw a name on a multi-band bill like “Chicks
Rock,” “Northern Kentucky Music Night,” “Femmes
in Harmony” or “Cincinnati Rock Machine,” call
it a festival and watch your attendance grow.
Best Outdated Overhype:
Festival seating is still an issue? In the weeks leading
up to Bruce Springsteen’s local appearance last fall —
the first to allow non-assigned seating (in the floor area) since
The Who tragedy in 1979 — The Enquirer’s coverage ran
sensationalistic, baiting stories (like “The Who Tragedy:
Can It Happen Again?”) that seemed intended to cause panic
and uncertainty. And many locals called the ban lift disrespectful
to those killed before The Who concert — more than 20 years
ago! The Who stampede and the recent Rhode Island club fire were
examples of organizational stupidity. Be smart about security and
safety, and there’s no need for a ban on any conventional
concert set-ups.
Best Hot Spot:
Plush above Carol’s on Main continues to be one of
the more eclectic rooms in Cincinnati. Mikey Roesch and Puck Dunaway
recently celebrated the one-year anniversary of their popular “Girls
& Boys” musical happenings there, hosting live bands and
cool dance music. Several theater groups continue to book performances
there. And on back-to-back nights in February the Greater Cincinnati
Chamber of Commerce hosted a young professionals meet-and-greet
and Cincinnati Tomorrow unveiled its Creative City Plan accompanied
by remarks from Mayor Charlie Luken and performances by local bands.
Plush, 825 Main St., Downtown, 513-651-2667.
Best Event/Party Promoters:
The Locos Bros. host themed dance and live music parties
at various clubs around town and also put on a huge Woodstock-styled,
two-day concert called “Bacon, Electricity and the NWO”
that features local, regional and national acts. When a local event
goes Locos, you know it’ll be a good time.
Best Diversity in Local Music Clubs:
Next Level opened in the old Electra location off of Main
Street catering to a young African American audience. It’s
one of a scant few places to bring in Hip Hop artists to perform
live (50 Cent, Scarface). The post-clubbing street convergence,
however, has given it a bad reputation and led to a massive police
presence. Next Level, 1133 Sycamore, Over-the-Rhine, 513-333-0646.
Best Opening Act:
The local Hip-Hop group NSPCREW’s exhilarating opening
set for MC Paul Barman March 1 at Top Cat’s was buck wild.
Featuring three MCs and DJ Bobby Peru (aka Bob Gayol of Moth), the
group tore through a dynamic, energetic set featuring songs from
their superb new album, Too Many SUVS, as well as their Neil Young-sample-based
“More Dead in Ohio” single, the best artistic commentary
on local police brutality and the ensuing “riots.”
Best Live Band Drama:
The Fairmount Girls’ set March 1 at the Southgate House
derailed when their new guitarist abruptly packed up his gear and
announced he wouldn’t play anymore because it sounded “like
shit” and it was an “embarrassment.” To their
credit, the FGs played one more tune without him ... and sounded
loads better. Seems the problem worked itself out.
Best Local Indie Record Label:
Datawaslost (DWL) was formed a few years ago by a group of
friends from various local bands, and they’ve now released
almost 40 CDs of their acts as well as compilations. The international
independent music press has written up countless DWL releases, and
the label reports orders for product from all over the planet. A
record release party for its latest compliation, One Two Three,
filled the Southgate House in February.
Best National Debut:
Local rock group Pay the Girl released its self-titled debut
album for TVT Records in late February. The radio-friendly album
featured songwriting collaborations with Steven Trask (who created
Hedwig & The Angry Inch) and Jeremy Hora, guitarist for Canadian
Rock faves Default. PTG also completed an arena tour opening for
Pop star Shakira.
Best Phish Heads:
With two sold-out Phish shows at US Bank Arena in February, several
local clubs took advantage of the attention by hosting “after
show” parties. The BarrelHouse hosted three jamtastic
nights, while the Mad Frog, the Southgate House and
the Madison Theater hosted like-minded Jam Rock and Jazz
acts.
Best Dedication to Live Music:
With its proximity to the University of Cincinnati, the Mad Frog
could make a mint hosting ’80s DJs and bands that play the
hits of today and yesterday. Instead, the club — which recently
celebrated its sixth birthday — maintains an eclectic booking
policy featuring a wide-range of local, regional and national original
music. And they still draw large crowds from UC (and beyond), giving
local bands a chance to tap into the school’s enrollment for
new faces. Mad Frog, 1 E. McMillan Ave., Corryville, 513-784-9119.
Best Reality TV:
The Big Quest, the locally produced TV show that aired in
prime time Sundays on Channel 25 (WBQC) this past fall. It was a
clever, lo-fi antidote to the mind-numbing network reality television
overload. The show — spawned from a decade-long non-televised
game developed by a group of friends (www.game-mastersinc.com/thebigquest)
— featured four teams that were led to various Cincinnati
landmarks by cryptic clues, like a brain-teasing scavenger hunt.
Funny and fun, The Big Quest had the conflict and resolve of the
best reality TV and none of the forced, staged aspects of most.
Hopefully it will be back for another run soon.
Best Concerts:
OK, there’s no consensus here. Every CityBeat staffer had
his or her own take on the best concert. So here’s a quick
rundown of several of the more passionate picks for “best
concert” (and why): Super Furry Animals show at the
Southgate House (easily the best sounding show this year); Willie
Nelson at Riverbend (braided man might look 90, but he can still
pick & grin with the best of ’em.); Jockey Club Reunion
at the Southgate House (gabba, gabba, hey!); Cleo Laine at
Music Hall Ballroom (very classy); NRBQ at the Southgate
House (acrobatic circus clowns of Rock who are divinely graceful
and simultaneously loose and hilarious); Scribble Jam at
Annie’s (coolest and best Hip Hop event in the Midwest); Jayhawks
at the 20th Century Theater (frat boys and old hippies); Patty
Griffin at the Southgate House (shocking energy in a sweltering
room).
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